The Paradox of Helping I had the privilege of attending the Lifeline Brass Blokes Awards in my hometown of Newcastle last night. The Awards recognise the spirit of ‘blokes’ who have been through adversity yet still find the time, courage and inspiration to give back to their community. As well as … [Read more...] about The Paradox of Helping
paradox
The Culture Paradox
10 Minutes on the culture paradox in safety and risk, and why tackling that paradox is so tricky for organisations. The Culture Paradox from Dave Whitefield on Vimeo. … [Read more...] about The Culture Paradox
A week in Canberra: Unraveling the Social Psychology of Risk and Paradox.
The crisp autumn air greeted me as I stepped off the plane at the Canberra Airport. It is just turning summer where I come from (Iowa)10,000 miles away so this was a surprise for me. The city, nestled amidst rolling hills and eucalyptus trees, exuded an air of quiet contemplation. I had come here … [Read more...] about A week in Canberra: Unraveling the Social Psychology of Risk and Paradox.
I’m Still Not That Into Safety
A sequel to: I’m just not that into safety anymore Our most popular article this year! Why do you think that is? Rob's courage and honesty has certainly touched some nerves! I’m just not that into safety anymore I have spoken with a number of Managers over the past few months who have argued with … [Read more...] about I’m Still Not That Into Safety
Coping With Paradox and Ambiguity in Safety
One of the temptations of working in safety is to portray a ‘wicked problem’ as black and white, simple and easy (https://safetyrisk.net/risk-and-safety-as-a-wicked-problem/ ). A wicked problem is any problem that cannot be ‘fixed’ or ‘solved’ and the more one attempts to do so, the more ‘wicked’ … [Read more...] about Coping With Paradox and Ambiguity in Safety
Culture Silences in Safety – Ritual
Talking about ‘ritual’ in safety is a bit like talking about the war (see video below). Safety is so often noisy about petty risk and so silent about the many critical indicators of culture (https://safetyrisk.net/category/safety-culture-silences/ ). Just search for safety+culture+ritual and see … [Read more...] about Culture Silences in Safety – Ritual
The Paradox of Conformity and the Challenge for New Ideas
The Dynamics of Conformity The pressure to conform is the underlying dynamic of belonging to a group. If you don’t conform you soon become part of an out-group or shift to another in-group. In-groupness and out-groupness is a foundational study in Social Psychology ; … [Read more...] about The Paradox of Conformity and the Challenge for New Ideas
The Zero Safety Paradox
Found this interesting article posted recently by Jason Kunz and just wallowing in the Linkedin mud (HERE): The Zero Safety Paradox This is instalment four in a twelve-part series on the future of the Safety and Health (S&H) profession, and the Safety and Health professional. Insights are based … [Read more...] about The Zero Safety Paradox
The Compliance Conundrum
The challenge of compliance is also a challenge to critical thinking, this is one of the many paradoxes in risk and safety. When we comply or an organization seeks compliance this is all well and good only while things stay the same. When things change and adaptability is required to keep … [Read more...] about The Compliance Conundrum
The Paradox of “Lifesaving Rules”
The Paradox of “Lifesaving Rules” Guest Post by Danny Fay As part of my assignment in Unit 5 of the Diploma in Social Psychology of Risk, I am evaluating the paradox of “Lifesaving Rules” against the five principles of collective mindfulness as developed by Professor Karl Weick. Collective … [Read more...] about The Paradox of “Lifesaving Rules”